Method and means for flushing scale and sand in gate valves



June 21, 1966 s. E. CARLTON METHOD AND MEANS FOR FLUSHING SCALE AND SAND IN GATE VALVES ,2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 19, 1963 INVENTOR. SYDNEY E. CARL TON [lady June 21, 1966 s. E. CARLTON 3,256,897

METHOD AND MEANS FOR FLUSHING SCALE AND SAND IN GATE VALVES Filed April 19, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG 3 FI6. 4

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2lcx. 2 2l z 20 CLOSED INVENTOR. SYDNEY E. CA/PL TON OPEN ATTO/P/VEV United States Patent 3,256,897 METHOD AND MEANS FUR FLUSHING SCALE AND SAND IN GATE VALVES Sydney E. Carlton, 240 W. Hereford, Gladstone, Oreg- Filed Apr. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 274,208 8 Claims. (Cl. 137-15) This invention relates to gate valves, whether one way or two way valves, and is particularly directed to a means for flushing any slight accumulation of said scale or other solid accumulations which are entrained in the liquid of any pipe line, whether a transportation line or a product line.

It is Well-known that in the moving of any liquid in a pipe line that there are entrained solid particles, such as sand, products of corrosion, scale and other foreign particles which not only interfere with the proper operation of the gate valves used to control the flow in the various lines, but often score the faces of both the gate and the body of the valve against which the gate slides in moving from the open to the closed position and vice versa.

A device called the Carlton Ring has been developed to provide slightly resilient sliding contact between the gate and the inner body surfaces of the valve in order to protect the gate surfaces from scratching and scoring caused by these foreign particles. It has been found in the tests covering the Carlton Ring that the foreign particles tend to accumulate in the space between the ring and the gate itself, and although the presence of the Carlton Ring successful-1y eliminates a large portion of scale, sand and the like from accumulating in the valve body, a need has been found for flushing the collected foreign solids from the ring itself under certain conditions of operation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide the means for accomplishing this flushing as Well as the method to which it is related.

It is apparent that in the flow of liquids through a gate valve that any entrained solids in the how will be deposited at the perimeter in the lower half of the port. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a special means for collecting the deposited solids in an adjacent sand ring or groove so that they will not reach the other areas of the face of the gate, from which rings or grooves the deposited material is flushed back into the flow.

It is apparent that if the solids, such as sand and scale, do pass the sand ring that they will be caught and accumulated by the Carlton Ring and therefore be diverted from the sliding contact with the inner surfaces of the valve body. While it has been found that the presence of the Carlton Ring reduces the deposits of these foreign solids, neverth'less, the ring is intended to catch and hold these solids and under severe conditions, a method and means for flushing the accumulation must be provided if the successful operation is to continue.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a system for flushing the solids accumulated by the Carlton Ring back into the flow beyond the critical point of the valve gate and on the downstream side.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, economy and ease of assembly and disassembly, also such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will fully appear and as are inherently possessed by the device and invention described herein.

The invention further resides in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and while there.is shown therein a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood 3,256,897 Patented June 21, 1966 that the same is illustrative of the invention and that the invention is capable of modification and change and comprehends other details of construction without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of the gate for a gate valve, showing the port opening; and

-FIGURE 2 is a transverse section taken on the line I-I of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view in vertical section showing the gate valve with the gate 10 in the open position; and

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but with the gate 10 in the closed position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, only a fragmentary section of a gate 10 for a gate valve is shown and this is the lower portion with the port opening 11. The port opening 11 has been simplified by showing merely a through opening. Concentric with the port opening 11 is an annular groove 12 which has its inner wall 14 angled inwardly toward the port 11 and its outer wall 15 substantially perpendicular to the bottom. Satisfactory results have been shown where the angularity of the wall 14 is 30 from the horizontal. At three, six and nine oclock as viewed in FIGURE 1, there are sand relief passages 16 (and 16a) which are angled at approximately 30 from the horizontal from the angled walls 14 of. the sand groove 12. These sand groove relief passages open into the interior of the periphery of the port 11 and are in alternated pairs from the three oclock position to the nine oclock position -toconnect with the sand groove 12 on the righthand side and 12a on the lefthand side as shown in FIGURE 2. If the flow is in the direction of the arrow 17, then the relief passages 16a will flush the sand groove 12a. If, however, the flow is in the opposite direction, the sand relief passages 16 will flush and clean the sand groove 12 on the righthand side. In this way the flushing is accomplished by the pull of the flow. Usually there are six sand groove relief passages 16 which includes three which are shown in the drawings as 16a. It has been found that no useful purpose is served by having these relief passages above the horizontal axis of the port opening because the suspended solids above this point will remain entrained in the flow.

With reference to FIGURE 1, there is shown in dotted lines radial passages 18 and 18a. These are shown to be a three oclock, 4:30, six oclock, 7:30 and nine oclock. The scale ring relief grooves extend through the gate body from a point underneath the Carlton Ring or scale rings 20 and 20a in the cavities generally designated 21 and 21a. These relief passages 18 and 18a extend angularly inward and open to the periphery of the port 11 adjacent the downstream side. Normally there are a total of some twenty of these relief passages 18 and 18a alternately arranged to take care of the flow in either direction. Thus, if the flow is in the direction of the arrow 17 then the passages 18a will function to flush material accumulating in the space generally indicated as 21a. On the other hand, if the flow is in the direction opposite to the arrow 17, then the passages 18 will function to flush material from the space generally designated 21.

It is apparent that if the gate is intended for service with flow in one direction only, relief passages are provided only on the side facing the direction of flow.

As an additional feature, and above the horizontal diameter 23 of the peripheral curve of the gate 10, are upper scale relief grooves 22 and 24. The grooves are preferably formed so that the upper wall is substantially perpendicular to the face while the lower wall is at an angle of from 30 to 50 from the horizontal, The grooves 22 start just above the main aperture or port 11, spaced from the vertical center line, and extend outwardly and downwardly at an angle of about 30 from the horizontal and empty. directly into the spaces 21 and 21a under the Carlton Rings 20 and 20a. Feeder grooves 24, which are identical in shape with grooves 22, commence adjacent the inner ends of grooves 22 and communicate therewith. Grooves 24 angle upwardly and outwardly at an angle of about 30 and open into the space 21a and 21 underneath the Carlton Rings 20a and 20. The'relief grooves 22 and 24 are formed on the faces on both sides of the gate as at 24a in FIGURE 2 in two-way valves and on the upstream side in one way valves, by any suitable means and manner, such as machining or casting.

The grooves 22, 22a, 24 and 24a have the purpose and effect of deflecting and scavenging any particles of scale' and particularly the larger particles, from the upper gate area and thus aid in the prevention of scoring and interference with smooth easy operation of the valve.

I claim:

1. In a gate for a gate valve having a through port therein, a sand groove in the up-stream face of the gate spaced from but adjacent the port thereof, and passages angularly directed toward the downstream side of the gate with outlets in the cylindrical face of the port connecting the bottom portion of said sand groove to said outlets in the peripheral face of the port.

grooves and the second pair angling outwardly from a point adjacent said vertical center line and downwardly 2. The valve gate of claim 1 wherein the sand groove has its outer wall substantially perpendicular to the gate face and its inner wall angled outwardly upward from the bottom thereof approximately 30 from the horizontal. 3. In a gate for a gate valve having a through port therein and an oval inwardly angled with respect to its periphery slightly resilient ring member on the up-stream face of the gate and extending above said face providing sliding contact therefor against the inner face of a valve body, a groove in the face of said gate adjacent the perimeter thereof for mounting said angled ring having an open passage and a communicating space beneath the inner face of said ring for the accumulation of sand and other solids, a sand groove in the up-stream face of the gate spaced from but adjacent the port thereof, passages angularly directed towards the downstream side of the gate with outlets in the cylindrical face of said port connecting the bottom portion of said sand groove to said outlets, and angularly directed passages for connecting the space beneath the inner face of the oval ring on the up-stream side to an outlet in the cylindrical face of the port adjacent to but spaced from the downstream face of the gate.

-4. In a gate for a gate valve having a through port therein and a peripheral curve at the bottom thereof, scavenging grooves in the up-stream face of said gate above the horizontal center line of the bottom peripheral curve, said scavenging grooves being in opposite pairs at either side of the vertical center line of the gate face, one of said pairs of grooves angling downwardly and inwardly and emptying into the second of said pair of at about 30 from the horizontal toward the periphery, said second groove emptying into a peripheral collection groove. 7

5. The 'method of removing deposited particle solids from the fluid flow through a gate valve comprising the steps of trapping and collecting the deposited solids on the upstream face of the gate in an area remote from the flow, establishing communicating passages from the collection points to the downstream outlet of the through port of the gate and opening the valve to fluid flow over said passage outlets establishing a negative pressure in'the passages and moving the collected solids by means of said negative pressure through said passages to the downstream flow.

6. The method of removing trapped solids from the upstream face of a gate valve in a fluid flow having entrained solids, comprising the steps of trapping and collecting the solids on the upstream face of the gate at a point remote from the main fluid flow but subject to the pressures thereof establishing an open communication between the trapping point and the downstream flow of said gate to provide a negative pressure in said open communication and moving said collected trapped solids by said negative pressure into the downstream flow.

7. Th method of removing trapped solids from the upstream face of a gate valve in a fluid flow having entrained solids,v comprising the steps of trapping and collecting solids on the upstream face of the gate at a point remote from the main fluid flow but subject to the pressures thereof, establishing an open passage connecting the trapping point to the downstream flo-w through said gate to provide a negative pressure in said passage flushing the collected trapped solids with the suction of the fluid flow established in said passage and releasing such trapped solids into the downstream flow.

8. The valve gate of claim 4 wherein there is an oval inwardly angled slightly resilient ring member on the upstream face of the gate and extending above the surface thereof providing sliding contact therefor against a valve body face mounted in the same peripheral groove leaving a collection space beneath the inner surface of said ring, and wherein the second mentioned pair of grooves communicate with and empty into the said collection space immediately below the inner face of said angled ring and where the outer ends of said first pair of grooves also communicate with the said collection space immediately below the inner face of said angled ring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1961 Le Rouax 251-317 X 2/1963 Vickery 251--317 X D. ROWE, CLARENCE R. GORDON,

Assistant Examiners. 

5. THE METHOD OF REMOVING DEPOSITED PARTICLE SOLIDS FROM THE FLUID FLOW THROUGH A GATE VALVE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF TRAPPING AND COLLECTING THE DEPOSITED SOLIDS ON THE UPSTREAM FACE OF THE GATE IN AN AREA REMOTE FROM THE FLOW, ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION PASSAGES FROM THE COLLECTION POINTS TO THE DOWNSTREAM OUTLET OF THE THROUGH PORT OF THE GATE AND OPENING THE VALVE TO FLUID FLOW OVER SAID PASSAGE OUTLETS ESTABLISHING A NEGATIVE PRESSURE IN THE PASSAGES AND MOVING THE COLLECTED SOLIDS BY MEANS OF SAID NEGATIVE PRESSURE THROUGH SAID PASSAGE TO THE DOWNSTREAM FLOW. 